April 13, 2005 – Sylvia Bierschenk

SFA theatre students preparing "The Member of the Wedding"

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - Students in the Stephen F. Austin State University Department of Theatre are busy preparing for the opening of Carson McCullers' "The Member of the Wedding" on Tuesday, April 26. The award-winning drama will be presented each evening through Saturday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. in W. M. Turner Auditorium.

The story revolves around an at-home wedding, but the poignant drama actually focuses on 12-year-old Frankie Addams' transition from girlhood to womanhood, the impact of World War II on society, and race relationships of the 1940s, said Jack Heifner, SFA playwright-in-residence and the play's director.

McCullers' story was first published as a book in 1946, and she then adapted it to the stage. It ran successfully on Broadway from 1950 to 1951, receiving two Donaldson Awards and the New York Drama Critics' Prize for the best American play of the 1950 season.

Heifner said he has always loved the play which has been referred to as "one of the most beautiful plays ever to appear on the Broadway stage."

"It was a very important play for its time--very modern in its character study," Heifner said.

A southerner himself, Heifner said the play accurately depicts life in a small Southern town. He recognizes the characters as being similar to people in his own life and believes audience members will feel the same connection.

"McCullers was a Georgia native who had a deep love for the South, and like Faulkner, she recognized its uniqueness," Heifner explained.

The drama is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and the Department of Theatre. It is sponsored in part by Tipton Ford.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. For tickets or more information, please visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or 888-240-ARTS.